


The Difference

by buckyscrystalqueen



Series: The Difference [1]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:13:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22819837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyscrystalqueen/pseuds/buckyscrystalqueen
Relationships: Mark Shepard x Reader, Mark Sheppard/Reader
Series: The Difference [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640452
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

In your opinion, first dates were literally the worst, but with a very involved Greek mother and grandmother, a large, extremely loud group of Italian aunts on your father’s side, and a persistent twin sister, you didn’t have a choice but to go on them. Because God forbid you say no. That two letter word was like a grenade in your household. Your mother, who you currently lived with because you were a single mother, would instantly start praying for your soul before calling your sister to pray with her as well. Your father, who was a giant instigator no matter how much he denied it, would head upstairs to ‘stay out of it’, have a brief conversation with his mother, and the phone tree would be instantly activated. Within a matter of minutes, you had your Nonna and eight aunts in your room, reminding you once again, that a single mother of four quadruplet boys, needed a man in your life. 

So you simply went on the dates, used your one year olds as a ‘you don’t want me because I’ve got a lot of baggage’, and left before the waiter could even take your drink order just to sit in your car for an hour in silence. It wasn’t that you didn’t love being a mother. Shit, your boys made you a better person every single day. But there were four of them, and they were all a little over a year old now. And while you were so fortunate that they were all healthy babies, your second son, Luca, was born with Down Syndrome. Even with all the help your immediate and extended family gave you every single day, you still felt like you were drowning in dirty diapers and doctors appointments most days. 

“You’re Mark?” You asked, dismissively as you stopped beside the chair the hostess had pointed out to you in Fogo de Chāo, one of your favorite Brazilian steakhouses, and took off your jacket. He looked up at you and nodded his head once as you sat down and took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m sorry you wasted your time in coming all the way here. I’ll make this quick. I’m 29, single… obviously… I work as a contract linguist for Homeland Security in the Pentagon, and I’m the mother of quadruplets that are fourteen months old and who have no father. So, while you process that, I’m going to drink my water and then head out because usually by the time that information sinks in, men tend to either get a surprise phone call or they have to run to the bathroom only to never come back. I don’t give a shit one way or another. Again, sorry you wasted your time.” You picked up your water glass and took a long swig as your date stared at you and blinked a few times.

“Quadruplets…” He said in a British accent you weren’t expecting as you grabbed your jacket off the back of your chair. “That’s four, correct?”

“Correct.”

“What’s the gender split?” You actually froze with your arm in the sleeve and looked over at him, unbelievingly, because he was the first date to actually ask that question.

“Excuse me?”

“Four boys? Four girls? Mixture of both?” It was your turn to blink a few times in shock as you let your arm fall to your side.

“Four… boys. Do you actually give a damn, or are you just trying to get laid, here?” A huffed chuckled bubbled up from his throat as he picked up his napkin, and laid it across his lap.

“I’m genuinely curious. And I happen to be gentleman, thank you. I am a firm believer in the third date rule.”

“Oh, are you now?” You laughed as you took off your jacket again and draped it over the back of your chair. “You’re that cocky you think you’ll get to a third date with women?”

“Not in the least. I believe the accent alone gets me to the third date and I was raised to respect women.”

“So waiting until only the third date is respectful?”

“I never specified the length of time between dates, darling. This could be date one, but between now and date two, we could have lunch half a dozen times at work, since we both work for the Pentagon.”

“Those are dates.”

“Those are not dates.” He corrected as he got up to start with the appetizer bar in the center of the dining room. “I never said I’d pay for your lunches.”

“Oh, you’re slick.” You giggled as you got up to follow him. “You’re real slick.”

“I try.” He chuckled. “So a linguist, huh? What language?”

“Greek and Italian.”

“Wow. And.” He said as he looked over at you, impressed. “Two languages?”

“Since I was born. See, my mother is Greek. She moved to this country when she was two years old with her twin, my Yaya, and my Papou. So she speaks both Greek and English. Now my father is from Italy. He’s the oldest and he has eight sisters. Huge family. My Nonna and my Nonno moved to the states before my dad was born but, like my mother, he speaks two languages. So when my twin sister, Emma and I were born, it became a battle with my grandparents on which language we spoke. So we speak both fluently.”

“See, I’ve worked with your sister before.” He commented as he waited for you to finish with the salad bar. “She did some translating for me at the request of Ben…”

“Oh, so are you a lawyer with Ben?” He nodded his head as he set his plate down in his spot and pulled your chair out for you.

“I do have quite a few years on him but yes, we are colleagues.”

“Oh what, like ten, maybe?”

“You’re generous.” He breathed as he took the seat beside you and flipped his card over. “I’ve been with the NSA for nearly thirty years… and don’t point out your age here. Emma thinks it’s hilarious to point it out every time she comes into the office to visit with young Benjamin.”

“She’s a bitch.” You said with a nod as you ripped a piece of cheese bread with your fingers and popped it in your mouth. “You get used to it.”

“Now, are you two fraternal twins? Because you look nothing alike…”

“You know, it’s funny you ask.” You sort of mumbled around your bite, which you swallowed quickly. “We’re identical. But it’s like fifty fifty on who can see it. My mom couldn’t tell us apart to save her life, but my dad has no issue. Half my aunts can tell, half can’t. Our boss can, Ben can half the time but I think he cheats, you can obviously tell. My sons are an even split, too.”

“Are any of them identical?” You nodded and let out a small sigh, taking a minute to take a drink of water for a break.

“Two of them are.” You started as you looked over at him, knowing that this was the second hurdle to get over with dates. “My youngest, Theo and Thomas. Evan and Luca are fraternal. And just like me and my sister, it’s fifty fifty on who can tell them apart. My mom can and she’s super proud of that.”

“I know you have photos.” He said as he nodded at the waiter that was making his round with a skewer of hot, top sirloin.

“Oh, I have thousands.” You confirmed as you, too, agreed to some top sirloin while pulling your phone out of your purse. “But… just…” You sighed the slightest bit and lit up the screen of your phone. “Sorry, I’m protective.”

“I already know.” He nearly whispered as he put his hand on yours over the phone as the screen went dark again. “Ben has an old photo of them on his desk. When he suggested this date, he told me you’d be stand-offish to protect them, and he gave me a very brief reason why. It doesn’t scare me, darling. Your strength just makes me even more fond of you.” You looked up at him and nodded your head with a hint of tears in your eyes.

“Evan is the oldest.” You started as you lit up the screen again and laid your phone flat on the table. “He is my trouble maker. That little man can get into everything and anything in the blink of an eye. Then Luca is next. He’s my little miracle; I almost lost him twice in the NICU but he is such a fighter. I can’t tell you how many times people said I should have terminated him because he has Down syndrome. But he has taught me… so much more than any school or any thing could just in this last year, and he continues to teach me more every day. Theo, then Thomas are next. I don’t think they look anything alike…”

“Really?” Mark asked incredulously. “See they look identical to me, here.”

“Photos are a little harder with the two of them for me.” You agreed as you pushed your phone across the table. “I have to take an extra second to really look. But face to face there is no question. They are two completely different personalities. All my boys are so different. And they all give me a run for my money.”

“Boys will do that.” He chuckled as he nodded at the next waiter, who had parmesan pork. “I think I can consider myself an expert and say that, as they get older, they will be even more of a handful.”

“You’re not helping here.” You giggled around a bite and behind your hand.

“You don’t think so? I think I am being extremely helpful.”

“No, now you’re just making me regret that I didn’t keep putting my coat on.”

“Oh, now why would you go and say a mean thing like that?” He asked as he put his hand over his heart. “Darling, that hurts. I thought I was doing so well.”

“Nope. You made it three steps forward and jumped eight back.”

“Bloody hell. I’m gunna have to try even harder, now. I love a challenge.”

——

You were actually pleasantly surprised with how your night went, and you were actually even more surprised that your date, which started at six PM, lasted through, an exorbitant amount of meat, salad, and cheesy bread, two amazing split desserts, and some absolutely amazing conversation. You pulled into the driveway at your house in Arlington at quarter to eleven, and you were only partially surprised to see all of the female half of your extended family waiting up for you.

“No!” You said as you walked through the front door with a shake of your head. “No, I’m not doing this…”

“(Y/N) (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N) you sit down and you talk to us right now.” Your Yaya, Calliope, demanded in Greek as you walked through the front room of the house you grew up in.

“It’s late, Yaya.” You tried before your mom’s twin, your Aunt Selene side stepped in front of you in the kitchen doorway.

“You sit down and you tell us about this man or we will go down and wake those babies up until you talk to us, you hear me?” You sighed at her and rolled your eyes. It was moments like these where you disliked having a big family, because you knew that they would absolutely wake up your boys if you didn’t stop and spill.

“He’s very nice.” You started as you held on to the door frame to take off your heels. “Funny, charming…”

“Did you kiss him?”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Did you sleep with him already?”

“Did he pay for dinner?”

“Was he a gentleman?”

“OK, you guys need to just chill.” You said as you held your hand up and looked at the room of women. “I can’t answer six questions at once, in three different languages, at eleven at night. So here’s the run down. Yes, he paid for dinner. Yes, he was a gentleman. Emma wouldn’t have set it up if he wasn’t. No I didn’t sleep with him, yes, I did kiss him. Yes, he was very good at it. He’s got a British accent, he’s taller than me, he is divorced, he has no kids but wants and loves them, and he works as an attorney for the NSA with Ben. 

Now, I’m going to love on my babies, and go to bed because my lovely offspring love nothing more than to wake me up at the asscrack of dawn… sorry Nonna… Yaya…” You apologized as you held your hand up apologetically at your two grandmothers for swearing in front of them. “I love you all, and I will tell you more at family dinner on Sunday. Good night, go home, please. It’s bedtime.” You waved your hand at your aunts and grandmothers on your way to the kitchen, and they started collecting their things as your mother, Zoe, came running up behind you.

“Theo’s still up with your father.” She sighed as she handed you the baby monitor. “He didn’t eat much dinner…”

“Did you try laying him down with Thomas?” You asked as you stopped at the sound proofed basement door.

“He wasn’t having it. He just wanted his Mama.” With a huff, you kissed her cheek, and opened the door. 

“Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it.”

“It was a group effort, baby.” She said as she pat your shoulder. “Sweet dreams.”

“You too, Mommy. Love you.” She repeated the sentiment to you as you stepped on to the landing leading down to the basement, which was your and Emma’s former play room when you were kids and was now the studio apartment you shared with your four babies. You smiled at the older man who was sitting in a Lazy Boy in the middle of the room by the bathroom as he stopped rocking and nodded his head hello at you. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey… there’s mama, see?” You smiled at your little boy as he picked his head up off your dad’s chest and looked over at you.

“Mama.” Theo choked as he turned and reached out for you with tears in his eyes.

“Oh, little man. Come here.” You dropped your shoes on the carpet and tossed your purse and jacket on your bed so you could take your son from your father.

“His bed time bottle is in the fridge. He didn’t touch it and he ate maybe three raviolis for dinner. I’m going up to bed.”

“Thanks Daddy. I’ll see you in the morning.” He nodded his head, sleepily as he trudged up the stairs, as your current little cry baby buried his face in your throat. “Alright, Theo. You gotta go to sleep, OK? But you can lay with mama for a little while. Only a little while, then you have to go in your bed.”

“No.”

“You can try to tell me no all you want, baby boy but you are gunna go to bed in your own bed tonight. Mama needs her own bed.” You grabbed the green capped bottle from the shelf of the fridge in the small kitchenette that, as a child, you never understood its purpose, but you were really grateful for as an adult. You dropped the bottle in the warmer on the counter and reached back behind your back to unzip your dress with a sigh. Theo protested a bit when you walked over and set him down on your king sized bed by the stairs, and he crawled across the blankets after you when you walked over to your small closet between the four cribs to throw your dress in your hamper and put on PJ’s. He slid off the bed, which was just a mattress and a box spring on the floor for that exact reason, and toddled after you into the bathroom.

“Oh, now we’re just being annoyingly needy.” You sighed when he latched himself on to your leg while you took off your makeup and ran a brush through your hair. Theo simply continued to sniffle until you finished and finally picked him up again. With one final heavy sigh, you grabbed his bottle and flipped off the lights, which didn’t do much since you had night lights all over the room so you could see your boys in the middle of the night. 

“Alright, bed time. Bed time.” You let out a relieved breath as you sat down on your bed and leaned back against the wall. Once Theo was settled in your arms with his bottle, you shoved your jacket on the floor and retrieved your phone from your bag before it followed your jacket. You glanced at the screen out of habit, looking at your sweet boy’s smiling faces, and you smiled at the text from Mark from a few minutes before.

— Hope you made it home safe. I had a wonderful time tonight. Look forward to seeing you again. 

You unlocked the screen and hit the message with your thumb.

— I had a fantastic time. I’m really glad you convinced me to stay, even if that third glass of wine is making taking care of this needy little boy a little difficult.

You hit the camera icon and flipped the view toward you and your son. You choose not to care that you didn’t have make up or a bra on any more, and took the photo of you and the beautiful, blue eyed little boy laying against your chest.

— Oh the joys of being a mother.

You set the phone down on your thigh and started to hum, hoping that you could get Theo to fall asleep quickly so you could get a couple hours yourself. Your eyes fell closed and your head gently hit the wall behind you, and the small suckling sound your son made mixed in with the sound machine that helped Evan fall asleep better than anything you had tried became your lullaby. You and Theo had both started to drift off, when your phone buzzed on your thigh.

— Oh, poor thing. I hope he goes to bed quickly for you. Sweet dreams, (Y/N). Good night… I’m gunna guess Thomas.

You smirked and glanced down at the finally sleeping little boy in your arms.

— Nope. This is Theo. Good try, though. Good night, sweetheart.

You set your phone down on your pillow and very carefully stood up to put your son to bed. He fussed for a couple seconds when you pulled the abandoned bottle from his hand and laid him down, but he thankfully stayed asleep. After checking the other three babies, you dumped out the remnants of the bottle in the sink, filled it with water, and simply left it to deal with in the morning with the boys breakfast dishes. You were already half asleep when you trudged back over to your bed and you were sound asleep the moment your head hit your pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

“So… are you still mad at me?” Emma asked as the two of you sat in your shared office on Monday, going over and translating a ten page document from some Greek dignitary to someone in the Homeland Security office, discussing the logistics of his visit to Greece for a benefit in a few months. 

“Very much so.” You responded without hesitation.

“Oh, come on.” She sighed behind you as she turned her chair to look at your back. “He’s a really nice guy, and he’s a very understanding person. He’s worked with Ben for years, and I know Ben wouldn’t have suggested setting you two up if he wasn’t going to be good for you and the boys…”

“Em, do you two realize what you are asking here?” You snapped a little curtly as you turned around to look at her. “You’re asking some stranger to consider stepping in to my life, and my boys lives, to possibly be a father to them one day. I have four sons, Emma. Four. And one of them has Downs. That is a lifetime of responsibility that I would never, ever expect someone to do. No matter how much I like him, I can’t date him.”

“You know, you make them sound like they are a burden.”

“How dare you!”

“No, I’m not saying they’re a burden.” Your sister said quickly. “I know what you do is not easy, and I’m not knocking it. But what I’m asking is, do you have to go at it alone? Do you have to live in the basement until you can afford some shit apartment…”

“So what, you want me to just find some random Joe to take care of me? Is that it? Because I can take care of myself…”

“No, I’m not suggesting…”

“Then what are you suggesting, huh?” You demanded as you crossed your arms over your chest. “Because this is gunna turn out one of two ways. My boys and I are gunna end up getting hurt or I’m gunna feel guilty for the rest of my life that I trapped someone with four boys that aren’t his. Those are the only options here. So can you please, please just fucking drop it already? No more blind dates, no more pushing me to find someone for the boys sake. They are fine with just a mother and the family. And they will be fine, too.” With a loud huff, you spun your desk chair around and got up to go for a walk to let off some steam before you finished your task.

“Did you ever think I knew what I was getting myself into going to dinner with you?” Your stomach dropped and you turned around to see Mark, leaning against the wall beside your office door, rolling a single white rose in his fingers. He looked up and met your eyes with a small shrug. “I was in the area and wanted to see if you’d like to have an early lunch.”

“Mark…”

“See, I’ve heard stories about you.” He continued as he pushed off the wall and walked over to hand you the rose. “Like the one time you set off a bottle rocket at a funeral…”

“OK, I was like ten and the mood was kinda dark and depressing.” You justified before smelling the rose with a small smile.

“And I’ve heard about the opossum family you let loose in the barracks…”

“Again… mood was kinda dark and depressing.”

“And that tells me that you have an amazing, dry, yet slightly twisted, and sarcastic sense of humor just like I do.” You nodded your head and let him gently turn you around for lunch. “I know that you are strong willed, and fearless. I know that you are devoted to your family, and you are patient, and kind. I know you put your loved ones before yourself without batting an eye. So let me ask you this- why wouldn’t I want to date you?” You stopped walking and looked over at him and then quickly walked a few steps back when he very gently pushed you toward the wall so you were out of the way of the people walking by. “Putting your boys aside for just a moment- if they didn’t exist, would I be someone you’d consider getting to know?” You searched his brown eyes for a moment before exhaling through your nose and nodding your head. “So, don’t you think you should finally give yourself a chance to be happy?”

“But…”

“I know you think you’d be… what did you say… ‘trapping’ me.” He interrupted. “But have you ever considered that I adore children? Have you ever considered I know what I could be getting myself in to by going out with you? I can see where this could end up. I’m not naive. And if I hadn’t been OK with that in the first place, I wouldn’t have agreed to taking you to dinner, right?”

“Mark…”

“I’m gunna just say this one last thing… after that, you can either come grab lunch with me before we go back to work, or you can go back to your office, and I won’t bother you again. I do _not_ like pineapple on my pizza. I’m also not a fan of pepperoni but I will tolerate it.”

“Oh, my God I can’t handle you.” You giggled as you shook your head.

“Am I going this way alone?” He asked with an award winning smile as he gestured over his shoulder. 

“I will go… as long as we can go to Surf City for a smoothie, and stop at the dry cleaner on the way back.”

“I think I can make that deal.” He said with a nod.

“Alright… I’ll grab my wallet just… stay here? I guess…”

“I’ll wait here.” He chuckled with a nod as he slipped his hands in the pockets of his dress slacks. You nodded and turned in your heels to walk quickly back to your office. Emma looked up at you when you crossed the threshold and you simply scowled.

“Shut up.” You barked as you set the rose down on your desk. “I hate you.”

“See you after lunch.” She giggled as she looked back at her computer to finish what she was doing before she took her lunch break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fridays were, hands down, one of your favorite days of the week. Since you were just a contract linguist, you only had to put in 20 hours of work a week to keep your office and your job, which you usually did in eight hour shifts Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You did switch those days up if you really needed to but for the most part, since Emma could translate Italian and Greek just like you could, your boss was OK with you only putting in three days of work. Thursdays were usually spent at doctors appointments for you, and/or your boys, which meant that Fridays, you got your babies all to yourself with rare interruptions. 

“What are you doin’?” You cooed as you sat on your bedroom floor, grinning like a Cheshire Cat at Evan, who was picking up his soft, plastic letter blocks one by one, walking them a few steps over to where you were sitting, and gently putting them in Luca’s lap. “Are you sharing? Are you sharing with your brother, baby boy? Yea.” Your oldest giggled adorably and continued what he was doing as Luca simply watched his brother from between your legs, completely mesmerized. 

You turned your head to the side to check on Thomas and Theo, who were both hyper focused on dropping plastic ball-pit balls into holes cut into a cardboard box, before toddling as fast as they could to watch the balls fall out the open end into a plastic laundry basket. You loved listening to the two of them laugh and talk to each other in nonsensical sentences, and you wished you could live in innocent moments like this forever.

“Mmm… Mmm…” Luca said between your legs as he looked up at you. You gave him a big smile and looked down at him.

“What, baby? Do you want a drink?” You asked as you signed to him, since he was a little behind the boys in his communication skills. He looked down at your hands for a moment, taking his time to connect the dots, before nodding his head and giving you the yes sign. “Alright, come here sweetheart.” You moved Evan’s blocks out of the way and stood up with a slight grunt. “Who else is thirsty? Juice break?” Your other three sons all looked over at you and instantly abandoned their current games to toddle after you toward the kitchenette. They waited with more patience than some adults you knew as you held on to Luca’s sides and used your feet to gently push his along one step at a time like your doctor wanted you too. You cheered for him when he finally made it to the tile, and his smile lit up your whole world yet again. You lowered him down to sit on the floor as your phone started to ring in your back pocket.

“Hello?”

“ _Well hello, darling._ ” Your smile grew as you put your phone on speaker and set it on the counter.

“Well hello to you, too. Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“ _Work is for chumps._ ” Mark chuckled as you lined up three trainer cups with straws and one with a hard plastic mouth piece on the counter. “ _Which is why, I am skipping out early today._ ”

“Ooo, what a dare devil.” You teased as you grabbed a pitcher of already mixed fruit punch Juicy Juice and water, which was the fan favorite with your boys. “Got a hot date tonight?”

“ _Funny you should say that. I was wondering if you had eaten lunch yet?_ ”

“I have not.” You told him with a shake of your head as you poured. “But I have to feed my kids first, which means I actually have to put something other than my sleep shorts on to go to the grocery store to get food to actually feed my offspring like the good mama lion I am.”

“ _What, no gazelle in the back yard?_ ”

“No, you’re a week to late for gazelle. Ate them all up last week… No Evan, that’s Luca’s.” You pushed your oldest’s hand out of the way, and handed the two older boys their cups.

“ _If you’re passing out money, I don’t blame him for trying to take it._ ”

“Liquid gold.” You said as you handed Theo and Thomas their cups and turned to put away the pitcher. “It’s juice time. Luca has to use a different cup and Evan is a little jerk and tries to take it. And before you ask, I have tried giving Evan the same cup as Luca and he won’t use it. He just wants it because it’s different than his.”

“ _Boys will be boys._ ”

“Yea, you’re telling me.” You huffed as you grabbed your phone off the counter and shoved it in your bra. “I have four, remember?”

“ _Speaking of, do you need a hand at the grocery store?_ ” You smirked as you picked up Luca and stepped over to your chair to sit for a moment.

“Yea, you’ll definitely be scared away after going to the store with me. I’m the crazy coupon lady with four screaming toddlers.”

“ _So it’s an adventure. And it gives whomever usually assists you a break._ ” He chuckled as you took the phone off speaker. “ _I’ll bring you a smoothie…_ ”

“Oh, you drive a hard bargain, Mr. Sheppard.” You joked as you sat back in your chair and adjusted your son in your lap. After a small debate in your head as you looked at your children, you sighed and nodded. “Alright. But remember, I gave you a fair warning ahead of time. This will show you what it’s like to really date me. And yes, I know you’ve spent two weeks saying you can handle it… just wait.”

“ _I am going into it with an open mind, kitten. Just like I do every day._ ”

“OK.” You sang to him as you rocked yourself back and forth slightly. “I warned you. I’ll text you my address but call me when you get here. I live with my parents and my grandparents and trust me when I tell you, you want to come in through the back door.”

“ _Sounds like a plan. I will see you soon, darling._ ”

“Looking forward to it. Bye, sweetheart.” You admitted, honestly. You smiled and hung up the phone with a small sigh as you looked down at your son. “Shit… this is gunna be interesting.”

——

“Alright, so I’m gunna give you… the grabber.” You said as you stood in the back of your van, looking at your kids, before deciding to grab Thomas first. You unbuckled him and picked him up with a small huff, since there wasn’t enough space for you to stand up completely. “This is Thomas.”

“Got it.” Mark said as he carefully took your youngest like he was going to break.

“Never held a baby before?” You laughed as you watched him.

“This would be my first.”

“OK, first of all, you don’t hold them out like they are diseased.” You giggled as you got out of the van. “Put him on your hip like this.” He nodded his head and let you guide him so that Thomas was propped up on his hip. “See? Simple. Just don’t drop him.”

“Your vote of confidence isn’t helping here.” He joked as you moved the straps of the kids seat, that looked like a car on the back of your shopping cart, out of the way.

“Then you just set him down here facing the cart.” He nodded his head and stepped up to your side with a small smile. You took a step back and let him do all the work so he could really get a glimpse at what went on any time you took the kids out in public.

“He’s about to fight it.” You said as you crossed your arms over your chest. “Keep your hand on his chest and quickly strap him in.”

“No!” The parking lot filled with your child’s scream as Mark battled Thomas’ hands to get him buckled. Little fists went flying until you finally stepped forward and grabbed his hands.

“Stop it.” You barked as you looked him in the eye with your ‘mad face’. “No.” His face contorted into a pout and he threw himself against the back of the chair.

“You just had to give me the hard one first.” Mark laughed as he tightened the seatbelt.

“The fact that you think I would give you the hard one is actually comical.” You said, honestly as you walked over to get Luca next. “He’s second easiest. Luca is first but I couldn’t start off with the easiest first, could I?”

“That would have been the nice thing to do.” You nodded your head and stepped out of the van with your second son on your hip.

“Alright, this is Luca. He’s a little people shy until you say his name. Always be soft, and gentle with him. He’s a little slow on the take so patience is key.”

“Hi Luca.” Mark cooed as he took a step forward. “Hi.” You looked down at your baby, with a small smile just as his face lit up with the smile that could melt even the coldest heart.

“You win.” You giggled as you passed him over. “Now with him, he’ll look back at you a few times to make sure you’re still there. Just say hi, talk to him a little. He’ll look back around to explore. If he starts making an ‘Mmm’ sound, he’s calling for me. His verbal communication isn’t there yet so he knows some sign language. I have faith through.” Your companion nodded his head and went over to put Luca beside his brother as you picked up Theo from the back to go in your cart. “Alright, not fighting, please.”

“Want me to?”

“Oh no.” You said with a shake of your head as you stepped out of the car. “These two are my worst.” The moment he saw the cart, Theo started to thrash in your arms because he, like Evan, hated being confined in any sort of seat. “This is a constant fight with them. They hate being confined… quit! Just quit, damn it! Ugh, you are a monster spawn. Monster spawn!”

“I don’t even know where to offer help.”

“You can’t.” You said as you finally got the seat belt buckled. “My mom is the only person that can get them to stop. Stop it!” You snapped in Greek, which only worked for a few moments. “Yea, they speak Greek. And Italian. It’s a constant battle in my house of which language is going to be their primary language. So damn competitive… don’t you start with me.” You growled as you picked up Evan, who wasn’t quite as bad as his brother, but who was still not a peach either. You struggled a bit with his hands, which Mark ended up coming over to hold for a minute so you could get him buckled in. With a sigh, you looked up at him with a smile. “Scared yet?”

“So do you always match them up this way?” He asked as you stepped over to grab your diaper bag slash purse from between the front seats.

“No, I mix it up. Usually, I put one of the trouble makers with Luca and I push that cart. I normally come to the store with one of my aunts and a couple cousins and they are a little loud for Luca to handle. So I try to keep him with me and away from my family in public. And the boys can tell that he’s different and they already know that they have to be more gentle with him. So they tend to be more calm. I use him as a buffer. Wait, I start in the middle.” You said as you grabbed Mark’s cart before he could go to the right toward the produce section. “You start on the outside and you are guaranteed to have a blowout diaper change or two that takes forever to clean up so all the cold stuff gets room temp by the time you finish your shopping. It’s almost guaranteed.”

“Alright, so what do we have on the list?” With a small smirk, you reached into your bag for your grocery store binder and passed it back to him.

“List starts in aisle four. My aunts usually watch the boys when I go to work and they spend the day gossiping and clipping coupons since we have such a big family. And not just me. My house is pretty full, but I also have nine aunts, nine uncles, forty-three cousins, and four second cousins. Oh, and we can’t forget the twenty… two? No twenty-three cousins by marriage, and my nieces and sister and brother in-law, and me and my boys. So total, we have over a hundred mouths to feed and that’s just my local immediate and extended family. They clip a lot of coupons. But we’re not super assholes about our couponing… babe, you gotta watch him!” You said quickly as you lunged and grabbed Thomas’ hand before he could knock a display of glass spaghetti sauces. You scowled at him and tapped his hand harshly with your fingertips, which only made him laugh manically.

“Sorry, kitten. I was distracted by the hundred plus mouths thing…”

“Not your fault.” You said with a nod as you pulled your list from the binder. “This is your first time. Gotta learn some how. But with quads, you constantly have to be aware because one of them is always up to no good. Sure you’re not scared yet? We’re not even five minutes in.”

“I can handle it.” You nodded your head and huffed a laugh with a giant smile on your face.

“Alright, just remember I warned you.”

“You know, you keep saying that.” He chuckled as he moved the cart into the middle of the aisle more so that Thomas wasn’t close to the shelves. “I bet raising children is a breeze.”

“Ooo, you better be glad that we are in public and that I have boxes of pasta in my hand or I would fight you for that statement.”

“Ooo, listen to that, boys. Mummy’s getting feisty.” You laughed as you counted boxes to make sure you didn’t grab more than the coupons you had so that the store still had some left on the shelves- which, in total, would only cost you maybe three dollars for twelve boxes of pasta that would last maybe a month, maybe two with the way your growing boys were eating.

“Mummy? Could you be any more British?”

“Probably could.” He chuckled behind you as he watched you grab two big jars of sauce for the boys, and two smaller Alfredo sauces for Luca because he couldn’t handle the acidity of the tomatoes. “I do drink tea…”

“Scotch and crumpets, too?” You teased as you moved down to the buy one, get one free Mac ’n’ Cheese.

“No scotch. I’ve actually been sober for almost thirty years.” You stopped and looked over at him with your eyebrow raised.

“Wow. Shit, congratulations, sweetheart. Bet that wasn’t easy.”

“It wasn’t at first.” He sighed as he gently redirected Thomas’ hand when he tried to grab a woman’s arm as she passed by. “But it’s got much easier. I go to meetings every morning before I go into the office…”

“Wait, you wake up extra early on purpose?! Are you crazy? Go after work and sleep in!”

“I don’t need my beauty rest anymore, kitten.” He laughed. “Nothing could make my ugly mug any better.”

“Aww, well I think you’re handsome.” You cooed as you looked over at him while grabbing canned veggies and beans that were two for $1 that week, with a doubled fifty cent off coupon for each set, making them all free to you.

“Not nearly as beautiful as you, kitten.”

“I like that, by the way.” You said as you started to load his cart with cans, since you were going to have at least fifty cans. “Kitten. It’s cute. Keep count for me. I need fifty.”

“I’ve never been one for pet names but it just works for you. How long does all this last for you?”

“Well, a can of veggies or beans divided amongst the five of us works for one meal. Two, sometimes three cans a day… about a month. Pasta just shy of two. Cheese sticks, however… shit, I could buy six bags of them and they would be gone in a couple days. These monsters just inhale cheese sticks. So if you’re ever at my house and you see one of them trying to get in the fridge, they want cheese.”

“Got it. You’re at fifty.”

“Alright, next aisle.”

——

“Holy shit.” Mark said softly as he stood in your bedroom, watching you lay Evan down in his crib for a nap. “What the bloody hell just happened?”

“Parenting.” You giggled as you checked on your other, thankfully sleeping boys. You sighed and looked over at him with a giant smile. “I warned you.”

“Yes, but you should have been much more clear.” He teased as he walked over to grab one of the dirty high chair trays to help you clean them off. “Kitten, your children are horrible!”

“I told you.” You laughed with a nod. “It never stops. I get peaceful moments like once a day and then it’s sheer chaos.” You glanced over at him with a smile and traded your clean tray for his. “You’re very good with them.”

“Can I confess that I was honestly just mimicking what you did all day long.”

“I figured as much.” You sighed as you scrubbed some peanut butter off the tray. “Look, I understand if you can’t deal. I mean, I’m their own mother and I get overwhelmed…”

“You’re not getting rid of me that quickly.” He said as he came over and gently grabbed your wrist. You looked over at him as he shook his head with a smile. “I’m just a sucker for a pretty face, you know?”

“You should really save yourself.” You sighed as you handed him the clean tray in your hands and took the next one.

“Do you take a nap with them?” He asked to change the subject as he walked over to get the last tray. “I could absolutely use a nap.”

“Oh, how I wish. I have to clean up all the toys, do laundry, reorganize the pantry…”

“How about… I help you with that after a little nap? Then maybe I’ll order us all some pizza for dinner so you don’t have to worry about cooking.”

“You’re gunna have to order a special pie for Luca. He can’t eat marinara sauce.”

“I know a place that has an amazing white pizza. So let’s go take a nap because I am falling asleep just standing here.”

“OK, fine.” You sighed as you turned off the sink and set the last tray on its high chair. “But you keep your clothes on and you stay on your side of the bed. No funny stuff… I have four kids already.”

“You have my word that I will be an absolute gentleman.” You huffed and rolled your eyes as you wiped off your hands on your jeans.

“You’re just gunna be as much of a pain in my ass as them, aren’t you?”

“It’s a boy thing. It runs in our genes.”

“This is why I stay single.”

“You could always become a lesbian.” He suggested as he pulled off his shoes and scooted across the bed against the wall.

“Too much drama.” You sighed as you fell onto your mattress. “I’m good with all that.”

“Now you see where men’s issues lie… oof!” You scowled at him as you curled up under your blankets as he chuckled and rubbed his stomach where you gently hit him with the back of your hand.

“Go to sleep before I change my mind.” With another slight chuckle, you closed your eyes and almost instantly passed out. You had no idea how long you were asleep for but a deep male voice is the first thing you registered when you woke up, followed closely by a small hand on your chest. You opened your eyes slowly and looked down at Luca, who was sound asleep in front of you.

“You always gotta remember to keep the diaper up for a little longer.” Your dad, Tony, said softly in his deep, gravely voice as he stood beside Mark at the changing table. “Boys tend to pee when you first take their diaper off. And Theo is a wiggler, so I tend to try and keep a hand on his stomach so he doesn’t roll off the changing table.”

“That happens?” Mark asked him as he grabbed a wipe from the box.

“They try.” Tony chuckled with a nod. “But that’s not just these boys. All babies do that.” 

“So what do I do…?”

“I just kinda tuck it in here to keep the mess contained.” You smirked up at the two men and simply watched from your bed as Mark learned how to change his first diaper. You wondered how this situation had come about as your dad took a step back and pointed at the diaper genie on the side of the changing table. “Keep your hand there.”

“Right, right. I knew that.” Mark nodded his head and pushed the diaper in the trash can as he tried to keep Theo on the table, which was a feat in and of itself since your son was more of a thrasher over a simple wiggler. “So it goes this way?”

“Yep, but one thing that took me a second to remember- you gotta make sure you have it up enough in the back. Trust me, you will only need to go through that mistake once. Yea, that’s good there.”

“A’right, this isn’t so bad.”

“Just wait until you get a shit diaper.” Your dad laughed. “It can get worse. So much worse.”

“I don’t think you can say anything to scare him off, Papa.” You said softly so you wouldn’t wake up Luca. “I’ve been trying for two weeks and he just keeps coming around.”

“Hey, sorry. I just heard Luca whining and he was pointing to you… and then your dad came down because he heard him on the baby monitor and he didn’t want to wake you…”

“It’s OK.” You told him with a small nod as you brushed your fingertips down your son’s back. “You really think I’m gunna get mad at you for doing diaper duty? You can just put him down. He’ll wander around.”

“You got them from here?” Your dad asked as he took a step over to the stairs.

“I got it.” You said with a nod. “Thank you, Daddy.” He nodded his head and headed up the stairs to go back to work.

“I like him.” Mark said as he came over and sat down on the bed at your knees and watched Theo grab a book from the box to look at.

“My dad? He’s a good man. I love him to death but I hate that he is constantly coming down to help. It’s not his responsibility, you know? I get that he wants to help and all but still. He’s already done so much for me…”

“Are you trying to fault him for being a good grandfather?”

“That’s not what I mean.” You huffed as you propped yourself up on your hand. “I just feel bad that he feels like he needs to come down here when I take a nap when one of the boys makes even the littlest sound. That’s my job. He’s my dad, not theirs.”

“Sweetheart. You need to stop beating yourself up for getting help. That’s all you do…”

“Well shouldn’t I be the one taking care of the children I made?” You interrupted with a hiss. “I got myself into this situation, I should be the one taking care of everything, right?”

“Wrong.” Mark said as he leaned back against your legs. “Kitten, you can’t go at it alone. Period. Especially because you are half Italian and half Greek. I’ve seen My Big Fat Greek wedding and enough mob movies to know that Greek and Italian families are all up in everyone’s business…”

“Jesus, this isn’t like the fucking Godfather.” You laughed.

“You need to be nicer to me.” He teased as he sat up to pick up Theo and his book. “Or this is going to be a very tortuous courtship for you.”

“Oh, my God, you are ridiculous.”

“What do we have to read Theo? Dr. Seuss? Alright, let’s do this.” With a shake of your head, you laid back down with Luca to wait for him and your other two boys to wake up for play time.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hello kitten.” You looked up from your work with a smile as Mark picked up the old flowers he had bought you the week before and traded them for a fresh bouquet like he had done every Monday for the past two months. “How’s work?”

“Oh, it’s going.” You sighed as you sat back in your chair. “Fight any bad guys today?”

“I’m a regular vigilante as always.” He teased as he sat down in the chair across your desk. “Hello Emma.”

“Mark.” She said without looking up as she typed out the translation for the most confusing Greek tweets regarding a senator in Wyoming either of you had ever seen to see if there was a threat or not.

“We’re dealing with morons today.”

“Morons that have their heads so far up their asses, I can’t even see the light from across the damn country.” You gestured to your sister, pointedly as your boyfriend nodded his head slowly.

“Sounds like you are having so much fun. So I have a favor to ask…”

“Go outside and ask it.” Em barked as she whipped around to glare at you. “Go.”

“It’s been a rough morning.” You said as you grabbed your wallet to get a coffee to make it through the afternoon. You walked quickly out of the office and laced your arm with Mark’s with a smile. “So what’s up?”

“Well, as you know, my father is coming to town this weekend for my birthday. And I would love it if you and the boys came to dinner with us. And… before you say no.” He jumped in before you could protest. “We’re just doing dinner at my house, and I know you have those restaurant high chairs in your van, and I still have those toys and the little travel cribs I bought for them last week when you stayed over. I even ordered a small, cheap ball pit on Amazon to surprise them. Stop running through your head on all the things that can go wrong, and just say yes.”

“You know I hate it when you do that.” You breathed as you stopped in line at the Dunkin’ down the hall from your office.

“I know you do, but you’re going to accept it all the same.” You rolled your eyes, placed Emma, your, and his usual order, and started the constant battle on who was paying for the coffees. Just like always, you lost. “Say yes.”

“No.”

“Say yes or I will dump your coffee on the ground.” You scowled at him as he simply smiled down at you.

“Fine, jerk. We’ll come. But only because you threatened my coffee.”

“Not because it’s my birthday and you adore me?”

“Who said I adore you? Because they are liars.”

“Oh, I’m wounded.” He laughed as he grabbed his and Emma’s coffee’s. “So I’ll just pick you up, then. Pack an over night bag.”

“You are impossible. So damn impossible, I don’t know what I am doing dating you half the time.”

“Oh, you love how crazy I drive you, kitten.” He bent down and gave you a chaste kiss just outside your office door and passed you your sister’s coffee. “See you later, sweetheart.”

“Bye baby.” You chuckled as you stepped back into your office to go back to work. “Hot coffee.”

“Thank you, boyfriend.” Emma muttered under her breath as she held her hand up for her cup but kept her eyes on the screen. “I can’t take this shit anymore.”

“He wants me to meet his dad… with the boys.” She nearly choked on her coffee as she whipped around to look at you with wide eyes.

“He wants you to meet his dad? That’s big.”

“I know it is.” You agreed as you crossed your legs and leaned back in your chair. “But he’s different, Em. I can just feel it.”

“Are you sure that it’s not too soon. I mean the boys…”

“Honestly… I don’t think so at all. The boys love him, he loves them. And it terrifies me every moment of every day. But Mark… that man has the biggest heart in the world, even bigger than Dad, when it comes to the boys. I don’t think he would make this move if he wasn’t serious about us- about all of us. He loves them and I’m almost positive he loves me, too. I don’t think he’s going to hurt us.”

“He does love you.” Emma confirmed as she blew at her coffee. “You and the boys are all he talks about in the office. Ben told me he even has a photo of you and them as his computer screen background. It’s honestly disgusting.”

“Says the girl that put a photo of Ben as her phone background after two weeks of dating.”

“Eat me.” She said with a small smirk as she turned back around. “Go back to work.”

——

“I’m so sorry we’re late.” You breathed as you got out of your van as quickly as possible. “Thomas refused to take a nap and had a complete melt down when I tried to get him dressed, and then he threw his milk cup at me because I was trying to get the other boys ready and I wasn’t paying attention to him, and so I had to find something else to wear…”

“Hey, hey.” Mark cooed as he stopped you before you could open the back door. “It’s OK. You are right on time.” You sighed and covered your face with your hand for a moment with a small shake of your head.

“I really wanna just strangle them all today.” You confessed, teasingly with a small smile as you looked up at him handsome brown eyes. “Hi, baby. Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you, baby. Let’s get the trouble makers inside, yea?” You nodded your head and pushed open the back door, receiving a loud wail in response.

“Mama!” Evan screamed from the far middle seat when Thomas tossed his toy at him.

“Hey, no, no, no.” Mark said quickly as he quickly grabbed the next toy in Thomas’ hand before he could throw that one as well. “We do not throw toys. Nu uh. Not nice.”

“You wanna go in time out?” You asked your youngest as you dipped into the car to get Evan out.

“No, no, no!” He screamed as he fought Mark when he tried to take him out of the seat.

“Thomas, we’re going inside…”

“Just leave him.” You barked slightly as you set Evan down on the van floor. “He wants to fight getting out of the van, he can stay in the van while we all go have fun without him.”

“Come here, Ev. Wanna go party?”

“Joo?”

“We have juice inside.” Mark said with a nod over Thomas’ screeches. “But we have to wait for Theo and Luca.”

“No!!!” Thomas screamed again as you set Theo down on the floor and guided him toward the door. 

“Boy number two.”

“Got him.” You nodded your head and smiled down at Luca, who looked positively terrified from the noise and being in the back seat. 

“Hey, you’re OK, baby boy. It’s OK. Come here.” His wide, brown eyes found yours and you smiled as strongly as you could as you picked him up and carried him out of the van. “Wanna go with Mark? Wanna go play with Mark?” You showed him the sign for ‘play’ and pointed at Mark before repeating your motions once more. Luca hummed and leaned toward his new friend with a giant smile with his arms out stretched.

“There we go.” Mark said as he took your son from you. “Yea, we’re gunna go play.”

“Alright, one more.” You sighed over Thomas’ crying. “Wanna take them inside?”

“Yea, let’s go inside.” Mark cheered, excitedly as he took Theo’s hand and turned toward the house. “We’ll go play with the ball pit. It’s about three times the size I thought it was but that is quite alright.”

“Of course it is.” You huffed as you headed to the trunk to get out your suitcase of stuff for an overnight trip. You set it beside the back passenger door and looked in at your pouting son. “You done being a pain? Because you are missing all of the fun by throwing a temper tantrum for no reason what so ever.”

“Mama!”

“Don’t ‘Mama’ me.” You said with a shake of your head. “You were being very mean today. That’s not nice. You have to be nice.” He shook his head and continue to cry as you unbuckled his buckle and picked him up. “Are you gunna be nice now so you can go play with your brothers?” He nodded his head and fell forward to bury his face in your shoulder to continue his crying. “Yea, I can handle just crying much better than screaming and hitting. We don’t hit.” With a shake of your head, you hiked him up on your hip, grabbed your purse and keys out of the front seat, locked up your van and grabbed the handle of your suitcase to head inside.

“Oh. He stopped hitting?” Mark asked as he came out to help you out but stopped just in the doorway.

“Now we’re just crying.” You said as you handed him your suitcase. “Please tell me your dad isn’t here already.”

“He’s sitting with the boys in the living room.” He said with a small smile. “He’s been here all day, kitten.”

“Of course he has.” You said as you stopped long enough to look at yourself in a slightly reflective picture frame glass.

“You look stunning.” He laughed as he pushed you forward. You nodded your head and smiled as best as you could as you walked into the main living room of Mark’s three bedroom, two bathroom house. “Dad, this would be (Y/N) and her youngest, Thomas. Kitten, this is my father, Morgan.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” You said as you set your purse down on a chair and stuck your hand out for Morgan’s.

“My, you are quite stunning.” He said as he kissed the back of your knuckles. “Four boys. You certainly have your hands full.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” You giggled as you set Thomas down and sat down on the couch. “I’m constantly on high alert for the next meltdown… nope!” You said quickly as you stood up and grabbed Evan before he could pull Thomas off the side of the ball pit. “Be nice, take turns.” You hesitated a moment and looked at the slightly extravagant toy, which consisted of a small ball bit, a tunnel, and a play house before looking over at your boyfriend. “Where did you get this?”

“Amazon.” He said as he sat down beside the house where Luca was sitting peacefully with a green plastic ball in his hands. “Folds up quite nicely, actually.”

“Fancy.” You joked as you set Evan down in the ball pit next to his brother. “What is going on here, boys? Do we have a new toy to play with?”

“How old are they now?” Morgan asked as he watched you kneel down beside the house and play a small game of peek-a-boo with Luca.

“Almost nineteen months.” You said with a smile as you pulled back behind the fabric of the house and glanced up at him. “They were Halloween babies.”

“I bet that lead to a fun first birthday.” Morgan teased as he sat back in his chair and watched you and his son interact with the four boys.

“It’s her favorite holiday.” Mark said as he leaned down to look at Theo, who was just hanging out in the tunnel, through the mesh windows. “What are you doin’ in there?”

“For their first birthday, we went all out. I have a huge family so we did a kid friendly haunted birthday house in my aunt’s backyard and had a bunch of treats and a costume party. We used to just decorate and do trick or treating but now I have an excuse to go all out.”

“Mark was a big fan of Halloween as a boy.” Morgan shared as you stopped Thomas from throwing balls out of the small hexagon shaped ball pit. “That is, until he went to his first real haunted house.”

“Dad, don’t…”

“He was so terrified, he nearly pissed his pants.”

“Pansy.” You teased, which made Mark sit up and glare at you.

“Hey, you would have been terrified too…”

“I’m Greek and Italian.” You laughed. “I’ve been traumatized past the point of fear by one of my twisted relatives since before I learned to walk.”

“Mark was afraid of the dark until he was in middle school.”

“And I wonder who’s fault that was.” Your boyfriend laughed as he held on to Luca’s sides as he stood up. “You’re the one who took me to that haunted house…”

“Mark, let him go.” You said as you dropped the balls in your hand in the pit and turned toward your son. “Come on, Luca. You can do it.”

“You want me to just let him go?” Mark said as he hesitantly let go of Luca when he fell back down. You nodded your head and scooted over to the side a bit more.

“Yea, he’s so close to walking. Come on, baby boy. You can do it. Walk, Luca. Walk.” With a giant smile, Luca stood himself up and rested his forehead on the ground for balance like he had for the past couple months. He pushed himself straight up and wobbled for a second before he finally moved his foot in front of him and took his first two steps. You cheered for him as he took a slight nose dive into the carpet and simply rolled over to try again. “Where’s my phone?!”

“I got it.” Morgan said from his seat as he pulled up his camera and started recording for you.

“Come on, Luca. You can do it.” You cheered as Theo walked out and looked over at his big brother. When Luca fell again, he got the gist of what Luca was doing and he mimicked his brother’s actions for support. You started to tear up the slightest bit as Luca walked a few more times, only a few steps at a time, until he finally collapsed into your lap where he apparently wanted to be. “Oh, munchkin man.” You cooed as you kissed his forehead and clapped your hands. “You’re finally walking.”

“Was that his first steps?” Morgan asked as Luca rolled off your lap and stood up again.

“Very first.” You confirmed as you let Theo crawl into your lap and stuck your hand out to keep your other two boys from knocking Luca over as he tried to walk over to Mark.

“And it is absolutely perfect timing.” Mark said with a nod as he clapped for your son.

“You’re just saying that because you get to see it first hand and not hear about it.”

“So I’m selfish, alright?” He laughed as he caught Luca before he fell into his lap. “Yay!” Luca sat down, clapped his hands, and laughed with you before he simply leaned back against Mark, satisfied with his progress for the day.

“And we’re done.” You laughed as you let your other sons go so they could go back to playing.

“Wow.” Morgan said as he sat back in his chair with a shake of his head. “I forgot how exciting that is.”

“Even though I get every milestones four times, each time makes me tear up again. Hey! Do not throw that ball again!” You looked back at Thomas, who laughed his maniacal laugh and grabbed another ball. “Don’t.” You barked as you scooted back and caught the ball before he could throw it and the quickly picked him up off the floor. “Yep. You’re going in time out.”

“He skipped nap time.” Mark told his dad with a small chuckle as he rolled a ball back toward Evan while you yelped when your son yanked your hair as hard as he could.

“Don’t miss those days.”

“Mama, no!!”

“Thomas, yes!” You yelled over him from Mark’s guest room where you had put your son in one fo the four pack and plays in there and simply walked away. You stopped in the doorway and tried to collect yourself with a shake of your head. “Can we please just feed them, and put them to bed early?”

“I got you a nice bottle of wine.” He chuckled as he set Luca in the house and got up. “Want wine so you don’t wake up at five in the morning with them?”

“Wine.” You groaned with a smile. “So much wine.”

“So much wine.” He laughed with a nod. “I can do that.”

“Do you want me to read?” Morgan asked as he looked down at Theo and the book he had grabbed from the small basket Mark had in the corner. “I think I can read a bit before dinner.”

“This was a good idea.” Your boyfriend said softly on his way past to the kitchen. You looked over at him and nodded as he kissed your cheek.

“Told you.”


End file.
